South Garland Little League has ‘best season yet’

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ROSE BACA/neighborsgo staff photographer

As president of South Garland Little League, Don Koerner has worked alongside students for the past 20 years. When he is not busying himself coaching baseball, he works as a school resource officer for Garland ISD.

As president of South Garland Little League, Koerner has worked alongside students for the past 20 years. When he is not coaching baseball, he works as a school resource officer for Garland ISD.

“Baseball has been a big part of my life for my family. We have invested a lot in it, and as a school resource officer I want it to be the best for the kids in Garland,” Koerner said.

This summer, the league boasted its best season, with four of the six divisions sweeping district and two teams making it to sectionals.

“This is the first time all four have swept the district. For me, I am proud of them. For me, I get excited,” Koerner said.

Playing the field

The divisions that advanced in the District 8 tournament were the Williamsport division (11- and 12-year-old age group), Junior (13-14), Senior (15-16) and Big League (17-18). The Senior and Big League divisions went on to win sectionals during the Texas West section II tournament but both lost in the state competition.

The city of Garland has three youth baseball organizations and one select league. According to Koerner, South Garland Little League is now the largest in the city, with more than 500 players and 40 teams.

The Junior, Senior and Big divisions for South Garland have been in existence for eight years. For about 45 years, the South Garland teams only served children 12 and younger.

Koerner said he realized in 2006 that, if he wanted to recruit older players, he would need a much larger field for them to play on.

To give the students the full baseball experience, he convinced the city of Garland to build a field at Central Park for the older players.

“We had 20 or 30 people at this council meeting, but it was kind of a crapshoot for the city. Luckily, it has been a big success,” Koerner said, adding that the city spent about $500,000 on the field.

Because of the approval, Koerner was able to develop a field catered to what is known as a 50-70 league.

Named for the distance between the pitcher’s mound and home plate, and the distance in feet between bases, the 50-70 league is designed to help ballplayers bridge the gap between youth fields and full-sized fields.

Former city council member Larry Jeffus, who represented District 4 from 2006 to 2012, said he was a major advocate for building the field.

“Working on getting that park approved is what I believe in. I believe family is the most important thing in the world, and providing a way for families to entertain with children is something I deeply believe in,” Jeffus said.

Koerner said the field is more than just a place for older students to play, it is a place to hopefully inspire the young players.

“The younger kids will ... watch the older players. So from a young age they look at those players and want to be like them, and hope to be out there one day,” Koerner said.

‘A service for kids’

The organization has made an effort to keep the costs at a minimum. The teams operate at a flat cost of $70 per child — which includes full uniforms, trophies and refreshments.

“Our goal is to get the kids to like baseball. And if they like baseball, they will come back and play. We don’t make money off of it. We are not out there to make money, but to provide a service for kids,” Koerner said.

The league operates on a volunteer basis. Most mornings, Koerner can be found taking care of the field by himself, watering the grass and building the mounds.

The coaches are also volunteers.

James “Tug” Pugh has volunteered as coach to three different teams for the past six years. All three of his teams made it to district this year. His Senior and Big League teams made it to state.

When he is not coaching his teams or traveling to tournaments, he works with Koerner mowing, weed-eating and watering the big field.

“I do this because it is all about the kids,” Pugh said.

Koerner said most teams rely heavily on fundraisers and raffles to earn money for trips. If a family cannot afford to travel with the team, the association comes up with funding for the families.

“People ask me, ‘When are you going to leave? You don’t have any kids there.’ It’s because I like it — I really do. I take pride in what we do,” Koerner said.

Garland/Mesquite editor Hannah DeClerk can be reached at 214-977-8051.

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